Panel -- Entrepreneurship: The expanding spectrum of possibilities


Panel Summary:

Entrepreneurship in Africa is alive and going full speed ahead! Join us as we explore the wide range of entrepreneurship opportunities and strategies.  Panelists are in-the-field entrepreneurs who will share their unique perspectives from a variety of different industries and what it takes to successfully harness the huge wave of opportunity sweeping through the continent. From florists to outsourcing, the spectrum of possibility is large; don’t miss this chance to learn from the proven experts.
Jørn Lyseggen
Founder & CEO
Meltwater Group
Jørn Lyseggen, 38, is a Norwegian entrepreneur and patent inventor with four start-ups, two trade sales and one IPO behind him. 

In 2001, with a starting capital of only $15,000, Jørn established Meltwater News; a B2B media search engine company offering business intelligence services. Meltwater News has grown to 33 offices, 500 employees, and 10,000 corporate clients across Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa and the US. From its humble beginnings, Meltwater News has always been profitable and cash flow positive.  The company has grown organically, without debts or external funding. 

Jørn identifies the company’s ability to see and develop peoples’ potential as the main reason for Meltwater News’ global success.

Through the creation of Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) in Accra, Ghana, Jørn will apply Meltwater’s unique ability to develop young talent in a not for profit technology and business training institute. MEST gives its trainees the tools they need to start new software companies, generating job opportunities and wealth on a local level.

Jørn hopes successful African software start-ups with origins from MEST will inspire entrepreneurial individuals all over Africa to ultimately create a prosperous African technology industry.

Uzoma Dozie
Executive Director of Retail Banking
Diamond Bank

Uzoma Dozie is the Executive Director of Retail Banking of the Bank. Mr. Dozie has over 15 years of banking experience in three different financial institutions in Nigeria. He joined the Bank in 1998 as an Assistant Manager and Head of the Bank’s Oil and Gas Unit.

In 2000, Mr. Dozie became the Bank’s Financial Controller, a position he held until April 2004 when he was appointed as the Head of Personal Banking. In July 2004, Mr. Dozie briefly left the Bank and returned to take up position as the Executive Director, Retail Banking.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Reading, Berkshire, a Master’s of Science degree in Chemical Research from the University College,London and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Imperial College Management School of London 1998. Mr. Dozie has also served as a Director of one of the faculties, EDS at the Lagos Business School since 2007.

Tayo Amusan
Chairman & Managing Director
The Palms

Mr. Tayo Amusan is the Chairman and Managing Director of Persianas Properties Limited. He incorporated Persianas Properties Limited (“PPL”) in 1990 to develop luxury residential, retail, entertainment and hospitality centers as well as commercial developments in Nigeria. He is a graduate of Business Administration from the University of Atlanta, United States of America.

 Tayo has over 25 years of experience doing business in Nigeria, mainly in the Real Estate business.  His past real estate successes were based on exploiting a supply gap for residential accommodation for a selected niche of the upper income expatriate market. His biggest project has been the world-class ‘The Palms’ shopping mall, which is rated to be the biggest such property in Nigeria, if not West-Africa.  The Palms has become the bench-mark for other developers in Nigeria and has raised the standards of quality in the Nigerian Real-estate market.  This project was done in partnership with Actis, and currently PPL is engaged in projects worth over US4 1.2 billion in Nigeria. These projects encompass Retail, Hospitality, Residential and commercial properties.

 In addition to his various business interests, Tayo also serves on the board of several companies including Garages Limited and Southern Petroleum Limited. He also acts as an advisor on oil & petroleum matters to Masefield Limited in the United Kingdom.
Nicholas (Nik) Nesbitt
Founder and CEO
Kencall EPZ Ltd

Nik Nesbitt is the founder and CEO of Kencall EPZ     Ltd, Kenya’s first international outsourcing company. Kencall employs over 500 people in an international call center and counts as clients leading telecommunications, financial services, health care and entertainment companies in the US, UK and Kenya. Mr. Nesbitt is also founding Partner of MarketRace, LLC, a Colorado based consulting firm helping large technology companies to turn around their business.

Prior to founding MarketRace, Nik was Vice President of the Qwest Business Partner Program (QBPP). He led Qwest's indirect channels, consisting of telecom agents, value added resellers (VARs), distributors, and system integrators to $1 billion annual revenue of solutions using Qwest's voice, data, Internet, and management services to enterprises worldwide. This program's unique approach to integrating sales channels earned Qwest a 2nd-place rank in Smart Partner magazine's Top 100 companies, and a 13th-place spot in the VAR 500 in 2001.

Previously, Nik started and grew the indirect sales channel at Rhythms NetConnections, and led US WEST's indirect sales channel. Prior to his tenure at US WEST, Nik held numerous sales, product management, marketing, business development and strategic planning positions with Square D Company and The Boston Consulting Group.

Nik received his MBA from Stanford University and his Master's and undergraduate engineering degrees from Dartmouth College.

Daniel J. Isenberg
Senior Lecturer of Business Administration
Harvard Business School
Daniel Isenberg is Senior Lecturer of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit, where he teaches the second-year elective, International Entrepreneurship and the required first year course, The Entrepreneurial Manager.

Between 1981-1987 Dan served at HBS as Assistant Professor in the Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Management Unit, and rejoined the HBS faculty in January 2005.